MVP no easy choice

SEATTLE - There's no question the Most Valuable Person of the Devil Rays' first half has been Lou Piniella, from the way he has changed the team on the field, the mind-set in the dugout and, hopefully, the spending habits of ownership.

But the Most Valuable Player?

It's not an easy choice.

MLB officials and Anaheim/AL manager Mike Scioscia have told us Lance Carter is the Rays' All-Star, but Carter, while doing a respectable job with a hand in 20 of the team's 32 wins (14 saves, five wins), is not the MVP.

You could consider Victor Zambrano for the way he stepped up and saved the rotation at a needy time, but it's hard to forget the rough start that landed him back in the minors and to be confident he can keep it up.

You could consider Carl Crawford or Marlon Anderson, who have been the top clutch performers, but neither has been consistent enough.

So, much like the All-Star debate, the decision seems to come down to Aubrey Huff or Rocco Baldelli.

What Huff has done - a .305 average, 17 homers, 50 RBIs through Friday - is impressive, especially since he has little or no protection behind him in the lineup and had to deal with moving from third base to rightfield.

But he's doing about what he was expected to, and the impact of his contributions has been limited - 12 solo homers and a .268 average with runners in scoring position, .209 with two outs.

Baldelli's stats aren't as good - .304-6-43 - and his clutch numbers (.281 overall, .220 with two outs) are only slightly better. But he wasn't supposed to be here and has had a greater overall impact at the plate, on the bases and in the field. And he's gotten people excited about the Rays, which might be his most impressive accomplishment.

So far he's most valuable.

MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE: Have you heard anything about this Baldelli kid?

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: As usual, there are plenty of choices.

Greg Vaughn, who couldn't make it out of spring training; Steve Parris and Jim Parque, who couldn't make it through May; Rey Ordonez, who was having a strong defensive and offensive season until a knee injury; Seth McClung, whose development on the mound was impressive until an elbow injury.

A few of the players left on the field have been plenty disappointing too, particularly Travis Lee and Ben Grieve.

The Rays could have gotten lucky, figuring one of the two would be motivated to re-establish themselves with a big year. Lee was let go by Philadelphia, turned down $1-million or so from the Braves and ended up with $500,000 from the Rays, and appears headed back to the free-agent market. His defense is smooth, but he has been unproductive at the plate, in one stretch logging one RBI in 17 games.

Grieve is in the last season of a four-year, $13-million contract and may have a tough time getting any more than a one-year deal or a spring training invite (Texas should be interested). The blowup with Piniella aside, Grieve has been invisible most of the season, apart from his team-high 32 walks. He has seven hits in 44 at-bats with a runner in scoring position, three with two outs.

That's pretty disappointing.